Souls
by Kung-fu Blaziken
Summary: One-shot.  A piece of the past that now stands revealed.  To say more would ruin the story.


_I don't own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. If I DID own Danny Phantom, the third season wouldn't have been as rushed, we'd have seen more of Danielle, and the series finale would have involved Dark Phantom._

_You know how, sometimes, you'll be writing a story, and the idea for another piece comes to mind. That's what happened here. It stuck in the back of my head while I was writing part three of 'Phantom and Spectre'. It evolved from there, until I had had an idea_ so good, _I couldn't let it die! _

_ENOJY!_

* * *

><p>Danny Phantom:<br>Souls

Clockwork did as he always did; he watched. Lately, he had been watching a young boy, who had gained great power. The boy had sworn to use this power for good, and has.

The boy's name was Danny Fenton, but most knew him as Danny Phantom.

This boy, this hero, had recently beaten his own dark future. Fighting Dark Phantom had strengthened Danny's resolve. Clockwork knew it would. After all, he knew everything. Everything that is, was, or may be. Having that much knowledge at the tips of his fingers meant that Clockwork was almost never surprised.

ALMOST.

He was surprised right now, for he almost never got visitors to his tower. Especially not another spirit who was often as busy as he was.

"Animus, what brings you here?"

Animus was a large and imposing ghost who glowed with a brilliant light. He was clad in a blue cloak much like Clockwork's. He carried a staff like Clockwork's, but it was topped with a blue gem. This ghost was often called The Keeper of Souls. He watched after souls, sorting them into the proper bodies for birth, and helping in the collection at death. It was a busy job, so Clockwork didn't see him often.

"Really old friend, I'm surprised. You didn't see my arrival coming?"

"Strangely, no," replied Clockwork, "Now, what brings you here?"

"You are aware of what happens if a body dies before an assigned soul reaches it," said Animus.

"Yes, I am aware. Tragically, the soul vanishes back into the primordial energies from which it was spawned. That particular soul usually never is reformed exactly as it was."

"Well, something similar happens if, for some reason, the body the soul is destined for is never conceived. It is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. But…"

"But?" said Clockwork, raising an eyebrow.

Animus reached into the folds of his robe and withdrew a pulsing ball of energy.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Clockwork.

"Yes, it is," replied Animus, "A soul whose body was never conceived, yet did not vanish. I was hoping you would know what to do with it."

"Why would I know? Souls are your jurisdiction."

"I come to you because of WHO this soul was supposed to be. It was to be the THIRD Fenton child. It was to be the younger sibling of your ward, the hero Danny Phantom."

**oOo**

After looking through the time stream, Clockwork and Animus managed to deduce that the child was to be conceived one week ago, but the appearance of Dark Phantom and Clockwork's own subsequent time alteration inadvertently caused Jack and Maddie Fenton to forget all about the thoughts of another child.

Clockwork mentally slapped himself for the mistake.

"Well, now we know what happened to the body," said Animus, "The question is, why did the soul stay? This sort of thing is unheard of."

"Tell you what," said Clockwork, "I'll take custody of the soul until I can find a new body for it, preferably someone that will become close to Danny. I sense that the child whose soul this is will have a large impact on Danny's future."

"Very well," said Animus, handing the ball of light over. He left soon after that, and Clockwork returned to gazing at the time stream, trying to find this soul's future.

He found several alternate futures. The nice thing about his omniscience was that he could play the ultimate game of "What If?" with Time. He sorted through the futures, making connections and discarding plans. All the while, the soul he had been entrusted with flit about the room. It had no real body, but it already showed signs that the person it would become was free-spirited. It explored every nook, but avoided a certain battered thermos. It was as if the soul knew there was something evil in there.

Finally, Clockwork found an option that would provide the best answer.

The catch was, Animus wouldn't like it.

**oOo**

"I don't like this."

"I knew you wouldn't," replied Clockwork, "But, I have searched the time streams, and this is the best possible solution."

They were in a secret laboratory. The owner was out at the moment, which was good, as time needed to flow normally for this to work. Clockwork had already fried the security cameras, so there was no chance of being bothered or discovered.

"I still don't like it," said Animus, "After all, what kind of madman would clone a child to gain something he never had?"

"There is a reason Danny calls him a 'fruit loop'. But, although putting the soul in a clone body is unorthodox, it is the best solution."

"You've already said that. Look, there's a reason I don't give clones true souls. Their bodies often can't take the energy. Their genetics just can't stand up."

"I know. But, you have said that this soul is different. The clone body will be able to handle the stress, at least until the genome is stabilized months after the child's 'birth'. I have foreseen it."

"You're sure about this?"

"Very," replied Clockwork.

They studied the pods. Each clone was in a different stage of development. Animus accidently rattled a pod with a 'young' clone.

"Watch it! You've made that one vegetative now," said Clockwork.

"Was that the one you were going to use?"

"No. In fact, that one will never leave the pod."

Clockwork floated over to one of the pods. It held a different clone. The 'fruit loop' had no way of knowing at this point, but this one's genome would cause a major physical change.

"This is the one," said Clockwork, "This is the body we will use."

Clockwork took the soul from his pocket and let it float to the pod. The soul phased into the pod and entered the body. Both ghosts felt the resonance of the soul merging with the body. The window of the pod glowed briefly.

"There," said Clockwork, "It is done."

"I'm leaving you responsible for this one," said Animus, "This child is your problem now."

"I know. But then, I know everything. Do not worry. Everything will be alright in the end."

Animus left, but Clockwork stayed behind for a bit, watching the pod.

"Oh, little one. Your journey in life will be filled with sorrow in the beginning. But, there will come a time when you will gain the one thing you most need. Family. Be strong, for one day, you will claim that just reward. Until that day…"

Clockwork disappeared, but his voice echoed some final words.

"Good luck, Danielle Phantom."


End file.
